From the street, Roppongi Hills is a multilevel hub of exclusive shopping malls, cinema complexes, a luxury hotel with stylish restaurants, and a plaza installed with a huge video screen. Linked together by grand stairways and escalators, the development's tallest building, the 54-story Mori Tower, is crowned by a modern art museum.

"We believe such a vertical garden city is the solution for the future of cities," says Hideki Nomura, manager of public relations with the developer, Mori Building Co. The company has also lent its expertise to Shanghai by building the Shanghai World Financial Center, a 101-story building that soars 492 m into the sky.

According to Hiroo Ichikawa, professor of urban policy with Meiji University, new high-rise complexes of commercial and residential buildings at the heart of Tokyo have filled the city center with new life and dynamism.

The charm of the city extends seaward, when a summer night's cruise in Tokyo Bay brings young people aboard to a natural high.

As the city lights start to dazzle, the DJ warmly coaxes young men and women donned in traditional Japanese summer attire, or yukata, to take part in various events, such as a yukata dance performance with eclectic music.

This charm of blending modernity with tradition continues, to the myriad of colors from a traditional Kabuki theater performance at the National Theater of Japan, subtle solemnity of a traditional wedding at the Meiji Shrine and a personal Japanese tea ceremony.

The setting sun sets the tone for icing on the cake.

Whether it is the quiet and elegant bars in Ebisu district, or the boisterous clubs at Kabukicho, one of Tokyo's most well-known entertainment districts, the option of a nightcap to end a perfect Tokyo tour is always there.

(China Daily August 7, 2008)